On May 1, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) awards to over 110 agricultural producers. The grant awards totaled nearly $16.8 million. The funding came from the $14 million appropriation for VAPG in the FY 2012 Appropriations Bill as well as $2.8 million from earlier years. The Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
For Immediate Release: Grants for Farm and Rural Business Development Announced
For Immediate Release May 2, 2013 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Grants for Farm and Rural Business Development Announced Washington, D.C., May 2, 2013 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that over 110 agricultural producers from 43 states will receive nearly $16.8 million in grants from the 2012 round of the Value-Added Producer Grants program. […]
House Subcommittee Debates 2014 Farm and Food Funding
Over the last two weeks, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a series of hearings to examine the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s and the Food and Drug Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2014. We previously posted about the first Subcommittee hearing of the year, which featured Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the second […]
Local and Regional Food System Marketing Program Opens Up New Round of Funding
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced a request for applications for its latest round of funding for the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). FSMIP is a small program designed to assist states to explore new market opportunities through research and innovation. As the title suggests FSMIP is targeted towards state agencies. Eligible applicants […]
Healthier food, successful farms: starting now.
Dear Supporter, Wherever there’s local food, there are farmers feeding communities and creating jobs. Farmers and ranchers are responding to skyrocketing demand for fresh, healthy food everywhere – at farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and in schools across the nation. At the same time, the farmers and ranchers across the country who feed us are getting […]
Guest Post: An Alabama Farmer’s Perspective on Policies that Promote Healthy Food and Healthy Economies
Today on Capitol Hill, farmers, business owners and community advocates shared their stories and knowledge of critical farm bill programs with Congressional staff. Sponsored by the Congressional Tri-Caucus – made up of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – the collaborative briefing “Policies that […]
GO-FARM Legislation Re-Introduced: New Loan Fund to Support Local Farms and Jobs
Guest Blog — We want to thank Bob Junk, Local Economy Manager with Fay-Penn Economic Development Council for preparing this blog post. Fay-Penn is an NSAC member organization and Bob co-chairs our Marketing, Food Systems, and Rural Development committee. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) has re-introduced the Growing Opportunities for Agriculture and Responding to […]
Secretary Vilsack Promotes Cover Crops, Local Foods, Contract Fairness during House Hearing
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies today to discuss his agency’s FY 2014 budget requests. The Subcommittee will consider USDA’s requests as it writes its funding bill for the year. Conservation, Drought, and Crop Insurance Early in the hearing, Subcommittee […]
Legislation to Remove Barriers to Local Farms and Food
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine today introduced their Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 (S. 679 and H.R. 1414). The bill was previously introduced in 2011 and parts of the bill were included in the five-year farm bills that were worked on, but not finalized, in the […]
Making Healthy Eating Affordable
A USDA study contends that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are often no more expensive than less-nutritious foods such as processed foods. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to a crowd from the aisles of a Hy-Vee Grocery Store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota this week to highlight the efforts the Agency has undertaken to […]
For Immediate Release: NSAC Endorses Protect Our Prairies Act
For Immediate Release February 14, 2013 Contact: Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754 NSAC Endorses Protect Our Prairies Act Washington, DC – On Thursday, February 14, Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Tim Walz (D-MN), along with six additional cosponsors, introduced bipartisan legislation that would protect our nation’s remaining native prairies and prime grasslands. The Protect Our Prairies Act creates […]
Funding Available for Farm to School Projects
On February 6, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the release of the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Fiscal Year 2014 Farm to School Grant Program. There will be $5 million in federal funding available in this 2014 funding round to help school districts plan for and implement Farm to School programs. Farm to […]
Rural Development Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2012
On January 9, USDA released their Rural Development Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2012. The report highlights success stories from USDA Rural Development’s active portfolio, including the following rural business development programs: $1 billion in Business and Industry loan guarantees $25.5 million in Rural Business Enterprise Grants $50.3 million in Rural Economic Development loans and […]
USDA Webinar on Writing Farm to School Grant Proposals
On Tuesday, December 11, USDA will hold a webinar at 1 p.m. EST to discuss best practices when applying for Farm to School grants. USDA recently announced the recipients of the first-ever round of Farm to School Grants. The purpose of this webinar is to summarize trends observed in this year’s successful applications in preparation […]
USDA Know Your Farmer Compass Expanded
This post was previously published by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) on November 20, 2012 and has been reposted with permission. Did you know that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, EPA and many other federal agencies have resources to support local food systems? That’s why USDA has just […]
First Round of Farm to School Grants Announced!
On November 14, USDA announced the recipients of the first-ever round of Farm to School Grants. The awards span 68 projects in 37 States and the District of Columbia and total $4.5 million in funding. The Farm to School Grant Program provides competitive grants to schools, nonprofits, state and local agencies, agricultural producers, and Indian […]
Funding Available for Community Food Projects
USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Community Food Project Grants Program (CFP). CFP is a grant program that addresses food insecurity in low income communities by supporting the development of community-based food projects including projects that address nutritional needs by promoting local food and […]
Celebrate Farm to School Programs through Kids Dig Farmers Day!
To commemorate National Farm to School Month, NSAC is sponsoring Kids Dig Farmers Day – a time to celebrate the connections happening around the country between schools and local food producers! NSAC advocates for farm to school policies that increase the supply of fresh, local food to schools – a win for farmers and for […]
Stories from the Field: “New Farmer’s Guide: Cultivating Success at Farmers Markets”
Due to inaction in Congress, the 2008 Farm Bill expired on September 30. While the big ticket items such as food stamps, crop insurance, and commodity support will continue to receive funding in the interim, there is no support for the lower profile programs that drive innovation, create jobs, and support the next generation of […]
What’s at Stake: Direct Farmer-to-Consumer Marketing
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the fourth post in our 10-week “What’s at Stake?” […]
Investing in Food Hubs and Rural Coops: 2012 RBOG and RCDG Awards Announced
On Wednesday, October 17, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the recipients of USDA’s 2012 Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) and Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG). Both of these programs seek to spur growth and create jobs in rural communities. Out of the 42 total RBOG projects funded, five projects address agricultural and food system development: […]
Stories from the Field: Seizing Economic Opportunities
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without funding.* This post is part of our 10-week blog series which will feature […]
What’s at Stake: Value-Added Agriculture
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the second post in our 10-week “What’s at Stake?” […]
2012 Specialty Crop Block Grants and Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grants Announced
On Monday, October 1, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced a total of $101 million in funding for specialty crops through the 2012 Specialty Grant Program (SCBG) awards and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) awards for 2012. The 2012 funding includes specialty crop block grants to each state funding 748 projects nationwide for a total of […]